WASHINGTON — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will travel to Israel this week at the same time that his successor, Antony Blinken, will take his first official trip to the region, three people familiar with his plans told McClatchy.
Their dual visits come at a sensitive time in the Middle East, days into a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that halted a week and a half of fierce fighting.
During those 11 tense days, Pompeo took to Twitter and conservative news channels to criticize the Biden administration’s response to the crisis, claiming that the White House was preparing to flush the government in Iran – which has supported Hamas in Gaza – with cash through sanctions relief.
